There’s plenty of cool stuff lying around the office, too. How about this sub-17lb Top Fuel?

(Matt Pacocha)

Project One makes up a huge part of the photo studio’s workload; one Project One model requires a Photoshop file made up of 600-1,000 layers, so that riders can select all of the available options through the Project One website

(Matt Pacocha)

Trek shoots more than 350 models over a two-month period every model year

(Matt Pacocha)

Video production area

(Matt Pacocha)

Trek has a full photo and video studio onsite

(Matt Pacocha)

Trek maintains a full fitness facility for employees

(Matt Pacocha)

The ID department lounge

(Matt Pacocha)

How about a 'Tron' inspired kids' kick bike?

(Matt Pacocha)

A speedo on the left and voltage meter on the right

(Matt Pacocha)

Trek’s cafeteria

(Matt Pacocha)

Trek plans to soon replace the 2011 alloy Session 88 in the lobby with a 2012 Session 9.9 carbon bike

(Matt Pacocha)

Both Armstrong and Contador were on the latest edition of the Madone in 2009

(Matt Pacocha)

In 2007, Contador took a redesigned Madone to the top step in the Tour de France

(Matt Pacocha)

The TTX sported Livestrong and 10/2 Nike graphics

(Matt Pacocha)

2005 ushered in the TTX time trial bike; Trek used Computational Fluid Dynamics to determine its aero shape, and team liaison Scott Daubert hand carried the first frame to the Tour for Armstrong to use in the TTT

(Matt Pacocha)

In 2004, Trek incorporated Boron into the bottom bracket shell of the first generation Madone; the material was still regulated by the US Defense Department and only allowed in NATO countries. Trek found it hard to manufacture with, yet still sold it in 2005, which Ott said was the most expensive Madone Trek have ever made

(Matt Pacocha)

2003 was a dramatic year punctuated by Joseba Beloki’s stage 9 crash and Armstrong’s field crossing on his Trek 5900

(Matt Pacocha)

The aftermath of the infamous musette bag crash during stage 15 of the 2003 Tour de France

(Matt Pacocha)

Trek’s original carbon time trial bike brought the company's engineers into the wind tunnel for the first time; it helped the Postal Service team win the TTT at the 2002 Tour de France

(Matt Pacocha)

Armstrong’s original Tour-winning Trek 5500; Andrew Rosch, Trek’s marketing assistant, who accompanied us on our tour, pointed out that this bike is actually heavier than the 2012 FX 7.7 fitness bike

(Matt Pacocha)

Contador’s custom rig, straight from stage 20; he rode a yellow bike on the final stage

Related Articles

Trek Bicycle Corporation’s HQ in Waterloo, Wisconsin is an impressive place to visit. The 205,000 sq ft facility houses 800 employees, and one of the only large-scale bicycle manufacturing factories left in the US.

The employee roster breaks down roughly 50/50 when comparing white to blue collar workers, illustrating that Trek's domestic production is more than a token effort. The 400-or-so-strong white collar workforce makes up the vast majority of Trek’s engineering, product management, graphic, marketing and business support staff. However, Trek also maintain a three-person suspension development lab in Southern California, run by Jose Gonzales.

At the heart of their Wisconsin headquarters is Trek's carbon manufacturing. All of their Madone 6 Series road bikes – 16 models, if you include framesets –are made in Waterloo, along with other top-tier models including Speed Concept 9 Series time trial bikes, and Top Fuel, Fuel EX 9.9, Remedy 9.9 and Superfly 100 full-suspension rigs, are made in Waterloo. Trek's US production amounts to roughly 25,000 bikes annually.

The Trek Top Fuel is one of the mountain bike models made in Waterloo, Wisconsin

Unfortunately when Cyclingnews called on Trek, the production line was filled with 2013 bikes so our tour guide, mountain bike brand manager Travis Ott, wasn't allowed to show us the factory. Waterloo also serves as the base for Trek’s Project One program, which allows users to pick custom graphic and paint packages, as well as the sizing and specification of their new bike.